Article: The highs and lows of nationalism

Politics|

The Highs and Lows of Nationalism by Paul Woolley

The Establishment | English Nationalism | Insecurity

It was extraordinary to see how the libertarian press and political
establishment in the UK (and throughout Europe) reacted to the death of
Pim Fortuyn in Holland shortly before the elections there. On the one
hand, Fortuyn represented everything our liberal humanist culture enjoys
- Fortuyn objected to Islam on the basis that it militated against Dutch
liberal traditions - he himself supported gay rights, along with the
legalisation of drugs and prostitution - the very hallmarks of Holland's
permissive society. On the other hand, his policies on immigration and
asylum were deeply offensive. It was the combination of these two
emphases (distinct but actually logically consistent - libertarianism is
intolerant) that caused panic on libertarian street.

The Establishment
Instinctively the establishment wanted to echo the popular Dutch
response and applaud him as a social progressive. Unfortunately, his
Fortuyn's stance on immigration made that difficult. Of course, it goes
without saying that had Fortuyn been a social conservative our
libertarian friends would have had no such worries.

English Nationalism
In the English local elections, the ascendance of the BNP in Burnley
ensured that the consensus of political apathy was broken briefly.
Nationally turnout was 35% but in Burnley it was 53%. The BNP attempted
to play on people's insecurity. The result was that people turned out
both to vote the BNP in and take a stand against them.

Insecurity
The rise of nationalism in Europe and in parts of the UK is a deeply
worrying trend. It does, however, reflect the insecurity of our age.
No longer can we derive our meaning from the old certainties that once
existed - truth or morality - for we have killed God and so are left in
the wreckage. No longer can we speak of an over-arching meta-narrative
but civililisation cannot survive without one. Nationalism represents
an attempt to re-construct the pieces that remain into something new,
along with the gods of materialism and the autonomistic self.

Paul Woolley is a member of CARE's Public Policy team and helps to run the Institute of Faith and Culture's Parliamentary Intern Scheme.

Email: paul.woolley@care.org.uk

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